Maria Mejias

Maria Mejias, 104yrs old of Port St. Lucie, peacefully died Saturday, November 8 in her sleep surrounded by family.

She was born to the late Zacaria Oquendo and Juana Lagarez in Utuado Puerto Rico.

Maria married the late Jose Mejias on May 29, 1946. They lived together in Puerto Rico before relocating to Philadelphia in 1950 and New Jersey in 1960. Maria and Jose always thought of Puerto Rico as home and they followed their hearts back to the, "Isla Del Encanto" in 1980. They temporarily went back to NJ to help care for their son who was sick, but happily lived in Puerto Rico until Jose's passing. As a widow, Maria relocated to Port Saint Lucie in 2014 with Mirta and Juan Rivera, her daughter and son-in-law. Maria loved living in Florida. Her favorite pastimes were to dance, eating at Cracker Barrel with family (befriending all the restaurant staff), attending church and playing dominoes. Maria was so skilled in dominoes that many thought she was cheating, but she was advanced with strategy and enjoyed the competition and more importantly the bonding and laughter with those she played with.

Maria always had a strong work ethic. As a young girl starting at the age of 8 , she worked on a tobacco farm and tended to animals and many other strenuous tasks. She was pulled out of school to help her family on the farm and only went up to 2nd grade, however she took the initiative and taught herself how to read and write. She was an avid reader especially when it came to the bible and was blessed with profound wisdom providing countless people with spiritual and life guidance throughout the years. She also worked as a professional seamstress sewing American military uniforms that were made of wool, which she was allergic to and yet she pressed through the pain of her sore fingers because of her strong love, endless dedication and support to her family. She was an expert in sewing embroidery as well, which she enjoyed as a hobby.

Maria had a genuine desire to provide a loving, safe and stable home to children that she fostered throughout her life. Her empathy, strong faith and heart of gold fulfilled her maternal role without biological ties to many people she encountered. She was a true caretaker to everyone. Many people that were under distress or in some form of suffering came to Maria for healing prayers and assistance. God used Maria as a vessel of restoration and hope for others. Maria was very spiritual and loved music. She wrote many song lyrics to honor and praise God and partnered with her husband, Jose who was a carpenter by trade and musician by passion to create the most beautiful and joyous music together that touched everyone's soul.

Maria had a magnetic presence. Her smile lit up a room. People were naturally drawn to her charisma, radiance and aurora. She was an angel on earth.

Maria is survived by her children Minerva (Tony) Gonzalez, Mirta (Juan) Rivera, Ivette (Noel) Acevedo Rivera, Evelyn Ramirez and the late Jose Mejias, Jr. She is also survived by grandchildren Benedicto (Yolanda) Nunez, Miguel (Karen) Nunez, David Nunez, Cecilia (Peter) Gonzalez Thompson, Nilsa (Brandon) Fichetola, Holly (Joe) Birch, Karimah (Mohamed) Abdulkhabir, Xavier Rodriguez , Bianca Ramirez, Destiny Parker, Noellia Maldonado, Joel Maldonado and 25 great grandchildren.

A visitation will be held on November 19, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Forest Hill Funeral Home, 2001 SW Murphy Road, Palm City, FL 34990. A Mass of Catholic Burial will be held at 9:30 AM to 10:40 AM on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at St. Lucie Catholic Church, 420 Irving Street, Port St. Lucie, FL 34983 with burial immediately following at Forest Hills Memorial, Park 2001 SW Murphy Road, Palm City, FL 34990.

Anyone wishing to send the family a message or share a story is asked to visit Maria's memorial page at

https://obits.foresthillspalmcityflorida.com/obituary/maria-mejias

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